Friday, 11 December 2015

Audiobooks

I’m guessing most of you like reading (or why would you be here), how do you feel about audio books?

For me, “reading” means using my eyes, not my ears. As much as I
acknowledge their usefulness while doing chores or using your hands, I
only ever use audiobooks for the rare long drive–listening, no matter
how pleasant, is not READING, yet people persist in telling me they like
to read and that audio books are their favorites. Am I the only one to
feel that’s just not the same thing?

I feel the same. I've tried to listen to audiobooks, on journeys for instance or when given a free one by Amazon, but for me it just isn't the same relaxing experience as reading. You can't let your mind wander in the middle of a paragraph without having to try and desperately rewind and figure out where you left off, and the story moves either too slowly or too quickly, never at the right pace. It's a similarly soulless experienceto Kindles, except with the added disadvantage of needing to pause or rewind every time you get interrupted or distracted.

I completely acknowledge that they're useful, for driving or while doing other things, but for me they lack that feeling of connecting and of shared understanding that makes a book worth reading.